Home
by silentpixiee
Summary: She feels like crap and she's all alone. The team is given the weekend off, and while everyone heads home, Skye tries to figure out where to go. (SkyeWard) Just some fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, this is my first AoS fanfic. I've written fics for Supernatural, but I'm super rusty, as I haven't written in a while, so please go easy on me! This was an idea I got from a friend and from my own experiences with strep. I hope you all enjoy it! Also, I meddled with the fic after my beta returned it, so all mistakes are mine!

**Special thanks** to my wonderful, amazing, spectacular, and beautiful beta/ BFF Kelly! She's been making my fics look pretty for a few years now, and this was no different! Thank you for the encouragement, love!

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

"Damn it all to hell," Skye muttered, dropping unceremoniously onto her bed. She felt like crap. Her head was about two seconds away from exploding, she was sure of it.

"Skye, you alright?" Jemma asked, peeking in through her open door.

"Hm, yeah, I'm good," she said, scooting over and motioning to the vacant spot on her bed. "What's up Simmons?"

Simmons remained quiet for a second before she looked up at Skye shyly.

"Fitz asked me to stay with him for the weekend," she said, biting her lip nervously.

Skye smiled. "Jemma, that's great!"

"You think? I mean, what if we don't get along? What if we argu—"

"Seriously Jemma?" Skye interrupted. "You two already live together on this damn plane. If you two can survive this, than staying at his house can't be all that bad," she scoffed playfully.

"You're right. I'm being silly, aren't I?" she laughed. "What about you? Where are you going to be staying?"

Skye got quiet. That was a good question. Coulson had informed them an hour ago that they'd be getting the weekend off, because the Bus was due for some maintenance and he had "things" to take care of at the Hub. That left her in a pickle.

After everything that went down with Miles a few weeks ago, Skye was officially alone. She had no friends or family outside of S.H.I.E.L.D and her "home" was currently parked down in cargo, next to Lola. She was going to have to figure out a way to get down there without being seen. She had enough snacks stashed in her bunk to last her through the weekend, and there's a bathroom in the cargo hold; as long as she stayed quiet and out of people's way, no one would ever know she was there.

"_Skye. Skye, you alright?"_

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you're alright? You're awfully spacey, and you look a little pale." Jemma said, concerned.

"What? No, I'm ok. I was just thinking…" she said pushing herself up from the bed. "I'm uh, I'm gonna go visit a friend from the orphanage; haven't seen her in a while," she said, hoping to God Jemma couldn't see through her lie.

Jemma looked at her, not completely convinced, but decided not to push it. Everyone was entitled to a little secrecy, so long as it didn't affect the team. She trusted Skye.

"Well great! I'm sure you'll have a great time getting reacquainted," she said enthusiastically. "I'll see you Sunday?"

Skye smiled. "I'll see you Sunday!"

Jemma got up and walked to the door, before stopping and turning to look back at Skye.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine Simmons, don't worry about me. You go have a fun, work-free weekend with Fitz," she reassured the bubbly scientist.

Jemma blushed and walked out, leaving Skye in much needed silence.

Aside from the fact that she didn't have a home to go to, she was grateful for the weekend off. They had just finished dealing with yet another super solider, courtesy of Centipede, and some R&R was definitely needed. For the most part, she was a healthy person, but the few times she did get sick, she _really _got sick, and if she didn't chill for a bit, she was sure the tickle in her throat, the dull ache in her chest, and the God awful headache that was currently taking over her brain, would turn into something more than a head cold.

"Skye!" Coulson called over the loud speaker. "Time to go, we need to clear the plane."

Skye winced, the loud speaker doing nothing good for her throbbing head. She scooted off her bed, grabbed her bag, quickly dumped her snacks into it, and trudged out of her bunk, running into a very firm Agent Ward on the way.

"Crap, sorry." She mumbled, stumbling a little.

Ward's arm shot out to keep her from falling backwards. "Watch were you're going." He said, emotionlessly.

Skye nodded, "Sorry," she whispered again, avoiding his eyes. Ward was still giving her a hard time over the Miles thing.

"See you Sunday," he said, ignoring the apology and walking off in front of her.

Skye sighed. Just a few more minutes and there'd be peace and quiet for two whole days.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Ward glanced back, taking in Skye's slumped form and pale face. Something was definitely off about his rookie.

"Ward, keep your phone on. I don't foresee any issues, but one never knows," Coulson said, glancing at Skye, as she walked closer. "You all set?" he asked her, as she stepped up beside her S.O.

Skye nodded. "Yep."

"Enjoy your two days, these don't come often," he said before walking out towards the hanger they were currently parked in.

"Let's get out of here," Ward said, shouldering his duffle bag.

Skye stood still. She had to get down to her van.

"Skye, let's go," he said, gruffly.

"I uh, I forgot something in my bunk. You go ahead. I'll see you Sunday," she stammered lightly, turning to head back to her bunk.

Ward eyed his retreating rookie. Something was definitely up. He walked off the bus and into the hanger, but he didn't leave. Nope, he was going to sit here and wait for Skye to come out, and he'd make sure his J.O. didn't get herself into anymore trouble.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Skye lay curled up on the floor of her van, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. Within the span of an hour, she'd gone from having just an annoying headache and a scratchy throat, to having a full blown migraine and feeling like she was swallowing razor blades. Why hadn't she thought about bringing some medicine down too?

Whatever. She was just going to have to deal with this on her own, like she's always done. It had been hard enough sneaking down here in the first place; what with having to lie to her S.O. again and everything. She couldn't risk getting caught and thrown out. With her luck, she'd run into May or Coulson, since they'd stayed at the Hub; lord knows how well that'd go.

"Jesus Christ, I'm dying," she muttered, curling in on herself tighter. "This can't be the flu. I've had the flu before, and it hasn't ever felt like this."

Skye reached out for her bag and haphazardly placed it under her throbbing head and wrapped the blanket around her small frame a little tighter.

"Sleep. I need sleep. It'll all be better when I wake up," she mumbled to herself. If she could just go to sleep, she'd be ok.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Ward looked down at his watch one more time before finally giving up and making his way onto the bus. He'd given her an hour to come out on her own and she didn't, so now he was going to have to _help _her out.

Ward headed straight to her bunk, where she'd said she'd be. Her door was cracked open, so he cautiously peeked in.

"Skye?" he asked, sliding the door open all the way when he didn't see her.

Sighing in frustration, Ward walked out in search of his very annoying, stubborn, and sneaky J.O. She _had _to be on the bus; there is no way she'd have gotten past him.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Skye tossed and turned uncomfortably on the van floor. The pain in her throat and head were reaching a critical level, and she was almost positive her insides were on fire.

"Oh god," she whimpered, unsuccessfully trying to untangle herself from the blanket. She was so hot. Why was it so hot?

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Ward had looked everywhere and still no Skye. There was no way Skye had left this plane without him seeing her. She _had _to be here somewhere.

Frustrated, he dropped onto the couch and tried to calm himself. Skye was going to be the death of him. How he'd allowed her to get under his skin like this was beyond him. He was a lone wolf, he didn't work well with others; he didn't _need _anyone… and yet.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself.

He hated her for making him feel like this. For making him so angry, for making him worry, for confusing him, for making him _feel. _Before Skye, he only thought about one thing- the job. But now, now he spent hours thinking about Skye and that idiot Miles. He spent hours beating the crap out of the punching bag, wishing like hell that it was Miles's face instead. He didn't know why it had hurt so much. It wasn't like he and Skye were anything; not more than friends anyway. She could sleep with anyone she wanted to sleep with; _he_ did.

Sighing, he rubbed his calloused hand over his face and stood to leave. Skye wasn't his problem. He was off the clock as her S.O.; it was time to go home and enjo—"_Shit."_

Home. Something Skye didn't have.

Ward cursed himself for not thinking about this sooner. No, of course his rookie wouldn't leave the bus, why would she when her home was here.

He quickly made his way down to the cargo hold, were the cars were parked. He spotted Skye's van, parked in the far right corner of the bay and quietly walked over, not wanting to spook her; she probably thought she was alone.

As he got closer, he started hearing little moaning sounds coming from inside. He stilled, his blood running cold for a minute. She wouldn't dare bring someone on here, would she?

The moaning turned into pain filled whimpers and that had Ward moving again. He cautiously slid the side door open and peered into the somewhat dark van. It took him a second to adjust to the lighting, before he spotted a clearly agitated Skye, thrashing around on the floor.

"Skye?"

Skye tossed her head from one side to the other at the sound of his voice, but did nothing else to acknowledge that she'd heard him.

He stepped into the Van, careful not to step on her or her things.

"Skye, hey you ok?" he asked, reaching his hand out to grab hers. "What the -?" Skye's hand was hot. Like seriously hot.

He let go of her hand and took her face in his hands. She was burning up.

"Shit. Skye, hey, come on, wake up," he said, patting her cheeks softly. "Skye, wake up!"

Skye whimpered, her eyes fluttering as she tried to open them.

"Come on rookie, open your eyes," Ward coaxed, lifting her head carefully onto his lap.

Skye turned into his touch, "Ward?"

Ward smiled. "Yeah rook, it's me. Come on, I need you to wake up," he said, pushing hair out of her face.

"Wha—where are we? Why are you here?" she asked, clearly confused.

Ward scoffed.

"I should ask you the same thing," he said.

Skye frowned.

"Ok, come on. We're getting out of here," he said, setting her down and making his way to the door, so he could pull her out.

"Where we goin'?" she mumbled sleepily.

"You can't stay here. You're sick," he said, grabbing her by her arms and gently pulling her towards him since she was making no effort to move.

"S'ma home," she mumbled.

Ward sighed sadly. He was an idiot. How the hell didn't anyone think about this? How did _Coulson_ forget that Skye had no _real_ home? They'd have to deal with this later, but right now, his rookie was sick, and he'd be damned if she was gonna stay here alone. No, he was taking her home.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

It'd been almost two hour since he'd made the decision to bring Skye to his place, and the small brunette had yet to wake up. He'd tried to get medicine into her system so he could maybe bring her fever down, but when that had failed, he tried ice packs.

Leaning down, he placed his hand over Skye's forehead, pulling back with a gasp. "Damn." The heat radiating off of her was now bordering on dangerous. He was seriously out of his league here.

Not having any other option, he grabbed his phone and called Simmons.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

"_Ward, can I talk to you for a minute?" Skye asked, meekly._

_Ward turned to her, eye stone cold. _

"_I'm busy," he said, turning his back on her._

"_Look, I know that—"_

"_I said I'm busy. I don't have time for traitors," he said, angrily._

_Skye gasped. Ok, she deserved that, but she was trying to make it right. She needed to make it right._

"_Ward, please…"_

_Ward spun around, walked up to her, and pinned her body against the wall with his. _

"_Look, if it were up to me, you'd have been kicked off this team quicker than you could take your shirt off. But seeing as though I'm not the boss, I can't do that. What I can do though is stop being your S.O." he practically growled out. "I can't work with someone I can't trust." He pushed away from her and turned to leave._

"_Ward, wait!" she called out to her retreating S.O. "Grant, please don't leave me," she pleaded, grabbing his arm._

_Ward pulled his arm from her soft grip and whirled around to face her once more. His eyes held no emotion what so ever. The Ward she knew wasn't the one standing in front of her. This Ward scared her._

"_Grant…" _

"_I'm done with you. I don't want you on this team; you're a liability Skye. Coulson can keep you here, but I don't have to deal with you. I __**won't**__ deal with you. Stay. Away. From. Me," he said angrily, before storming off, leaving a broken Skye behind._

"_Grant, wait! Don't leave me!" she cried out after him. "Don't leave me, please don't leave me. Grant!" she screamed._

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

Grant was in the kitchen making himself some coffee while he waited for FitzSimmons to show up, when he heard Skye screaming his name. He set his cup down and quickly made his way to his bedroom.

Skye was thrashing around on his bed, his covers tangled up around her small frame.

"Don't leave me, please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Grant, don't leave me, don't leave me," she cried, her voice boarding on panic.

"Skye, Skye, wake up," he ordered softly.

"Grant, please…"

Grant sat on the edge of the bed, and held her down gently. "Skye, come on, it's ok. I'm here, I'm right here," he assured her.

Skye whimpered and whispered Grants name once more followed by a soft sob, before coming to.

"Hey, you're alright," Grant said, pulling her to him.

Skye curled into him and cried, not really sure of what was going on, but taking some comfort in him being there.

"We need to get your temperature down," he said, deciding that waiting for FitzSimmons was no longer an option. If her fever got any higher, a hospital visit would be her only option.

"Wait here," he instructed, laying her back on the bed.

"No, Grant…" her glazed eyes locked onto his, silently pleading with him to not leave her.

Ward sighed.

"I'm not leaving you, Skye. I just need to get the water running. I'll be right back, I promise," he said, pushing some hair off her face. "Trust me."

A single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye as she nodded. "K."

Ward swiftly made his way through the apartment and into his bathroom. He turned on the water and set it to lukewarm. Once the tub filled three quarters of the way, and he was sure it wouldn't drain out, he made his way back to his bedroom, stopping when he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Thank God," he muttered to himself. He wasn't particularly comfortable giving his rookie a bath.

"Sorry we're late. We had to stop for supplies. How is she?" Simmons asked, walking right past the agent.

"Not good. I just started a bath for her," he said, motioning towards his bedroom. "Her fever is really high. I couldn't get her to take anything, so I tried the ice packs, but it didn't help much."

"I knew something was wrong when I talked to her on the bus," she said quietly, following Ward to his room.

"I wish she would trust us more," Fitz said, setting up the supplies they'd brought in.

"Ward…"

"I'm here Skye," he said, standing by the bed. "Simmons and Fitz are here too."

"Bloody hell," Fitz said, staring at a very pale looking Skye. "She looks terrible!"

"Fitz!" Jemma scolded, before turning her attention to her sick friend. "Skye, I'm gonna take a look at you ok. Just gonna check your vitals and a few other things," she said, taking out the blood pressure cuff.

Skye simply nodded, keeping her eyes on Ward.

"Alright Skye, Fitz has to swab your throat. I apologize ahead of time," she whispered softly, as she started the blood pressure machine.

Skye waited until Simmons gave her the go ahead to sit up, and slowly raised herself up on shaky arms, and opened her mouth as instructed. She had to give props to Fitz, he sure was quick. He had swabbed her throat before she had even realized what was happening.

Fitz put the swab into a clear tube filled with some sort of liquid, and sighed when it turned dark blue.

"What is it?" Ward asked, concerned.

"I'm afraid she's got strep," he informed regretfully.

"I'm dying," Skye groaned, dropping back onto the bed.

Jemma looked on sympathetically. She'd had strep before, and it wasn't an experience she'd like to relive again.

"No one is dying. Come on, up we go," Jemma said, reaching down for her friend. It wasn't until she got that close to her, that she literally felt the heat radiating off her friend. "Jesus Skye, you're skin is on fire."

Skye sighed. Hadn't she said that already?

"Can one of you please help me get her into the bathroom?" Jemma asked, stepping away from the bed.

Fitz looked back and forth between Skye and Ward. Yea, he wasn't getting between that.

Ward stepped up, swooped Skye into his arms carefully, and walked to the bathroom, gently setting her on the closed toilet seat. Jemma followed him in and promptly shooed him out.

"I'll call you when I need you," she said, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Alright, let's get that fever down, hm?" she said, making quick work of Skye's clothes.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

"So, how'd Skye end up here?" Fitz asked curiously. Last he'd known, Ward was _very _angry with the young rookie. So angry that he'd been giving her the silent treatment for the past few weeks, and only speaking to her when a mission came up and it was absolutely necessary.

Ward looked up, unsure of how to go about answering him. He hadn't exactly hidden his anger towards the young hacker, so the fact that she was here, in his home, the one place he's never allowed anyone to come to before, was kind of baffling even to him.

Luckily he was saved from answering, when Jemma called him from the bathroom.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Um, you didn't happen to grab Skye's bag, did you?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously.

"Crap."

"I'll take that as a no," she sighed. "Well, you're gonna have to give me something of yours she can wear for now until I can wash her sweaty clothes."

"Ok..."

"Well then, what are you waiting for, Ward? Bring a shirt and some shorts or something before she freezes," she said, shooing him away.

"Right, sorry." Ward walked into his room, looked through his drawers and pulled out one of his many shield training tshirts and an old pair of basketball shorts. They weren't gonna fit her, but it's the best he could do.

He handed the clothes to a waiting Simmons, and walked back to sit with Fitz. God forbid the scientist decided to explore his apartment.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

"Jem."

"Yeah Skye?"

"I don't feel good."

Jemma stopped what she was doing and grabbed Skye's face between her hands. "I know hun. Once I get you dressed and back in bed, I'll give you some medicine, and you'll start feeling better soon, I promise," she said, gently wiping some water droplets off her forehead.

"Does Grant hate me?" she asked out of the blue.

Jemma's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"He hates me, right? After the Miles thing…" she said sadly. "I hate me."

Jemma sighed. "He doesn't hate you Skye; he's just a bit hurt, is all," she said, pulling Skye's arms through the sleeves.

"I don't… I don't know how to fix this."

"Don't worry about that now Skye; there'll be plenty of time to fix things later. Right now, you need to go to bed and get better."

"I don't want him to hate me, Jem," Skye insisted. "Please."

"Skye, you need to calm down," Jemma said, trying to soothe the young hacker.

"I never meant to hurt anyone, Jem. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I'm sorry," she muttered brokenly, silent tears making their way down her pale cheeks.

Jemma, unsure of what else she could say to make her friend feel better, pulled Skye to her and just held her. She knew Skye had been feeling bad about what had happened with Miles, but she didn't think it was this bad. Skye had made her rounds and apologized to everyone on the bus, and aside from Ward, everyone had pretty much forgiven her for the incident. She should've known though. She should've known that Ward's rejections would affect her the most. How could it not? She and Ward had gotten close, what with him being her S.O and all. This was such a mess.

Sighing, she pushed Skye back a little and noticed that her friend had dozed off. Poor thing looked miserable. Hopefully once she gave her the first dose of antibiotics, she'd start feeling a bit more human.

"Ward, Fitz, we're ready!" she called, trying not to rattle the sleeping girl.

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

"What is that? Ward asked, motioning to the syringe in Fitz's hand.

"Antibiotic, it should help clear the strep. We'll have to give her two more doses, but this should start helping tonight," he said, gently pressing the needle into Skye's arm.

Skye winced, but didn't seem to have the energy to do much else. Her eyes fluttered every few minutes as she tried hard to fight sleep.

"Ward, Fitz and I can take Skye with us, if you, you know, have something to do or—"

_No, please don't make me leave! _Skye thought, peeking up at Ward. She wanted to be here; she felt safe here. She's lived in an orphanage and home after home all her life, and yet Ward was the only one who made her feel like she belonged- he felt like _home_. She knew it sounded crazy, especially after the crap she'd pulled with Miles, but if that mistake taught her anything, it was that she didn't want to be anywhere that her team wasn't.

"No," he said, swiftly cutting her off. "Thank you for the offer Jemma, but I'm her S.O., and she's my responsibility," he added. "I'll make sure she's ok."

Truth was, he wanted to take care of her, and not just because he was her S.O. Regardless of what she'd done, of how she'd hurt him, he couldn't help but care about her. He still had some resentment towards the hacker, but more than his resentment, there was…love. And while he wasn't ready to admit that to anyone out loud, he was ok with admitting that to himself. He loved his rookie, he loved her as a friend and he loved her as something more. And maybe someday he'd be able to tell her that.

Jemma smiled, secretly cheering on the inside. Skye would be just fine here.

"Alright then, if you're sure, Fitz and I will just be heading back. If anything changes, please call us," she said, grabbing the kit she'd brought in. "Keep an eye on her temperature, if it spikes up again call us; although, with the antibiotics Fitz gave her, you should start seeing a positive change," she added.

"Don't forget to give her the second dose tomorrow," Fitz added, opening the door and stepping out.

"I won't. Thanks guys," Ward said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Take care of our girl, Ward," Jemma said, before walking off with Fitz beside her.

Ward closed and locked his door, quickly making his way around the apartment and shutting off the lights, before setting the alarm. It was only a little after 8 p.m. but his body was starting to shut down on him.

He quietly made his way into his room, and after contemplating it for a few minutes, he decided that sharing the bed would probably be best, so that he could keep an eye on her and to assure her that he was there and she wasn't alone.

Skye, feeling the bed dip beside her, rolled onto her side and curled into her S.O's chest.

"Ward…" she murmured softly into his shirt.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered, pulling the covers over them.

"Nuh uh. I jus' want to thank you for bringing me home." She said sleepily.

Ward smiled, wrapping his arm around her small frame. "Always." _I'll always bring you home. _

AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS

**A/N: **Well, there you have it! I hope ya'll weren't bored by the end of this. I know it was super fluffy, but this is my way of coping with the whole May/Ward thing they've got going at the moment! I can't tell you how ready I am for _that _storyline to be over with. Anyway, please leave me a review if ya'll feel inclined! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic time ringing in the New Year; I had planned on posting this last night, but I was on call for the hotline, and sadly, things got busy.

Anyway, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who read and reviewed my story. I know I've already said it, but I'm rather rusty right now, so all the love is helping build the confidence!** Also**, I'd like to quickly reply to a specific review that was sent by a "guest" and I couldn't respond to personally: _Dear guest, thank you for reading and reviewing! I hear what you're saying about strep not being that bad, however, I think that all depends on the person. I've unfortunately been the victim of strep so many times, I've lost count. I've gotten strep so much; I've developed tonsil stones! After years of fighting with ENTs, I am happy to say that I am finally in the process of getting these bad boys out! I know everyone's body is different, and sadly, mine struggles to fight this stuff off. Skye's bout of strep is my personal bout with it every single time I get it. Strep takes me out within 24hrs of hitting and I'm pretty much useless until the antibiotics kick in. It's really no fun, especially since I don't have my own personal Grant Ward to nurse me back to health. So yea, sorry if it seemed unrealistic, but the fact is, this is based off my reality. :-/_

Anywho, now that I've taken up a whole page for this note, I want to give a quick special thanks to **NothatRose**! NothatRose left me the GREATEST/ longest review ever in my history of writing, and I absolutely LOVED IT! NothatRose, you are the best! Thank you for taking time out of your day to send me that; it truly made my day! Much love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of the characters mentioned in my fics.

Warning: This is not beta'd… all mistakes are mine, and I apologize for them in advance.

* * *

Skye woke slowly, groaning softly as she rolled onto her side and stretched. Damn, she felt like crap.

"Hey, you're awake."

Skye glanced up startled, only to find her S.O. sitting right beside her, a book in hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, setting the book down on the table beside him.

"Uh…" Skye lifted herself up on her elbows, trying, but struggling to get into a sitting position; her achy muscles were refusing to cooperate.

"Hey, take it easy." He said, gently guiding her up. "You ok?"

Skye remained silent for a moment trying to let this all set in; her thoughts were a jumbled mess at the moment. She was sick- that much she knew. She also remembered falling asleep in her van and talking to Ward at some point, but she couldn't quite recall leaving the bus and coming to… wherever this place was. Was she dreaming?

"Skye, you feeling ok?" Ward asked, watching his rookie zone out.

Skye snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at her concerned S.O. "Hmm, oh, yea, yea I'm good." She stammered softly, her voice coming out a bit raspy.

Ward looked skeptical. "You don't sound good."

She mentally assessed herself. Her head hurt like hell, her throat was sore, and she was cold, but other than that, she was good.

"Skye, talk to me."

Skye brought her knees up to her chest in an attempt to get warmer. "My head and throat really hurt, and its cold." she said, laying her head on her knees. "What time is it?" she asked, letting out a soft yawn.

Ward eyed her sympathetically. He had called Simmions as soon as he'd woken up to make sure he knew exactly what to do to make his rookie feel better. He really hated seeing her so out of it, and even though this was nothing dangerous, he hated seeing the pain etched on her face. He was determined to get her back to health by Sunday night, when they had to report back to the bus.

"It's early. I'll go grab you some Aleve… see if we can get rid of that headache at least," He said, getting off the bed with as much stealth as possible. "Then you can grab a couple more hours of sleep."

"Wait! No." Skye reached out for his hand.

Ward looked at Skye, confusion clear on his face.

"I don't need any pills." She said, still holding her hand out for his. "Just…"

Ward looked down at her outstretched arm and back up at her face. She was pale, shivering, and just downright distressed. He sighed, stepping up beside the bed and took her small hand in his.

"Just what?" he urged softly.

"Can you- will you stay with me?" she whispered shyly. "Please."

Ward remained still for a second before he took his seat on the bed again. "Get some rest, Skye. You need it." He said, pulling the covers up so that she could lie down comfortably.

Skye rolled on her side facing Ward and curled into his side, sighing contently. She felt the covers drop over her shoulder seconds before she allowed sleep to take her under.

* * *

Skye awoke again for the second time that day, except this time Ward wasn't sitting beside her. For a brief moment she panicked, thinking that Ward had taken off and left her alone. It's not like she could blame him if he did. She did betray him and the team after all.

Not wanting to put off the inevitable, she threw the covers off and stood on wobbly legs. _Get it together Skye._ She thought, gripping the corner of the bedside table next to her. Whatever bug she had, was seriously doing a number on her. She seriously felt like death.

_I look like death too. _She huffed, as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked pale, aside from her rosy cheeks, and the t-shirt and shorts she was wearing flooded her small frame, making her feel like a small child trying on daddy's clothes. And her hair… _Awesome. _She ran her fingers through the nest currently sitting atop her head, trying unsuccessfully to tame the awful bed-head.

Frustration quickly set in after fighting with the tangled mess so she pulled the hair tie from her wrist and pulled it up in a ponytail.

"It'll do." She muttered, finally satisfied.

* * *

Ward sat on his couch, book in hand once again. He'd waited until Skye had been asleep for a while before he'd left the room to get at least an hour workout in and a shower before she woke up again.

He glanced down at his watch and set his book down. It was time for Skye's second dose.

He made his way through his ample apartment and went to open his bedroom door when Skye suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Holy crap!" Skye squeaked, her hands coming up to her chest. "You scared me, Robot! Can't you make noise or something? I thought I was alone…"

"Why would you think you were alone?" he asked, his brows furring in confusion.

Skye shrugged. "Like I said, you need to make more noise."

The corner of Ward's mouth turned up in a small smile. "Black op agents don't make noise; not if we want to live."

Skye rolled her eyes and squeezed past him, secretly happy that he hadn't left her to fend for herself. "Well, if you want _me _to not have a heart attack and die, please, walk a little louder."

Ward followed Skye into the living room, watching as she took in her surroundings. With her being out of it last night and this morning, he hadn't told her where they were yet.

"So…" she walked over to a big sliding glass door that led to a good size balcony. "Is this some sort of S.H.I.E.L.D safe house or something?" she asked, turning to face Ward.

Ward watched her, wondering if he should maybe stick with that idea. He didn't quite know how his rookie would take being at his apartment; they weren't exactly on the greatest of terms as of late.

Skye raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for an answer.

Ward sighed,"Not exactly."

"Ok, so where are we then?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself as a chill hit the air.

Ward walked over to the couch and grabbed a throw blanket that was lying over the arm and draped it over her shoulders.

"My place." He replied, his voice low and gentle.

Skye looked up at him in disbelief. _Why would he do this?_

She walked to the couch and sat on the edge, clutching the blanket tighter around herself. She didn't understand. They'd been given a whole weekend off; something that rarely happens, so she was pretty sure Ward had better things to do with his time then spend it caring for someone he had been trying to avoid at all cost for the past few weeks.

Ward watched her silently, giving her a few moments to process.

Skye closed her eyes, letting a soft sigh escape her lips. As much as she wanted to stay here, as safe as she felt here, she wouldn't- _couldn't_- stay. She wasn't going to force Ward to be around her if all he'd wanted was to be away from her.

She glanced up at him shyly, feeling his eyes on her.

Ward was an amazing S.O., and if anything, he'd brought her here because he took his job seriously, and as an S.O., it was his job to watch out for her. But, since they were technically off duty, Ward was off the clock.

Ward silently took the seat beside her, resting his arms against his thighs.

"You're thinking too much."

Skye looked over at him. "I- thank you. Thank you for bringing me here and making sure I was ok." She said quietly. "I-I'm feeling a lot better now and I'm sure you've got a lot of things to do so I won't take up anymore of your time. I think it's best if I go back to the bus."

Ward raised an eyebrow,"Do you _want _to leave?"

Skye bit her lip anxiously, avoiding Wards gaze.

"Skye…" He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Do you want to leave?"

Skye shook her head.

"So don't." he patted her hand comfortingly.

"Ward, why are you being so nice to me?" she asked meekly.

Ward didn't really know how to answer that question. For the past few weeks he'd been adamant that their resident hacker be kicked off the team, and when that option had been turned down by Coulson, he'd taken matters into his own hands and he'd pushed his rookie as far away from him as possible, for his sake and hers. He was angry and hurt by her betrayal, and whatever trust he'd had in her, shattered the moment they found her with Miles. He couldn't stand to be near her, fearing that the anger would bubble over at some point and he'd end up saying something he'd regret later. And yet, here they were…

"Grant?" she urged quietly.

Ward ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. This wasn't a conversation he was ready to have just yet, if ever, but for reasons he didn't want to fully acknowledge just yet, he couldn't deny his rookie anything.

"Despite everything that's happened these past few weeks; I couldn't leave you like that. You're still a part of this team and you're still my rookie; it's my job to make sure you're ok." He explained matter of fact.

_Oh._ Skye nodded silently, disheartened, but not at all surprised by his answer. He was just doing his job. _Always someone's job._

Skye fingered the frills on the edge of the blanket, trying hard not to let the tears brimming on the edge of her eyes fall. She knew she deserved this- she deserved to be unhappy and unwanted. She'd never belonged anywhere; she was just always someone's "job", someone that people would take in for a few hundred dollars a month, and when she became more trouble than she was worth, they'd send her back. Why would this be any different? Ward had wanted her off the team not too long ago, didn't he?

Ward didn't say anything else for a few minutes, taking in the awkward silence that fell between them. He saw the hurt flash across Skye's face the moment he finished talking, and he found that despite her betrayal, he didn't like seeing the pain in her eyes.

Sighing, he turned to face her, gently prompting her to do the same. His faced softened when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Look, you know I'm no good with this stuff, Skye." He started voice low and unsure. "But I just- I want you to know that regardless of what's been going on, I- I care about you. And I would-_will _- never let anything happen to you. Because before you're my teammate and rookie, you're my friend." He said, wiping a stray tear as it rolled down her pale cheek.

Skye locked eyes with Grant, wishing like hell that she could verbalize the words she wanted to say so badly, but she couldn't. It would ruin everything. So instead she settled for something else.

In a swift move, Skye wrapped her arms around Ward's neck and held on tight.

"Thank you." She whispered beside his ear. "Thank you for bringing me home."

Ward remained silent, but tightened his hold on her just a bit.

When Skye finally pulled back, her eyes were red-rimmed and her rosy cheeks wet, but there was a small smile on her face. It was amazing how seeing that smile made Ward feel lighter somehow. Damn. He was in deep.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, how about lunch?" he asked, standing up quickly and breaking the moment.

"M'not really hungry." she said, her nose scrunching up in disgust at the thought of food.

"You have to eat something Skye."

"I can't. Even if I wanted to, my throat hurts when I swallow." She said, unconsciously rubbing her throat. "How about I take you up on those pain pills though?"

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed quickly making his way to the counter where he'd set the medicine FitzSimmions had left behind. "I completely forgot. I was going to the room to give you your second dose of the antibiotic. Don't tell Fitz or he'll never let me hear the end of this!" he said, pulling the contents out of the pouch.

Skye watched as Ward uncapped a syringe and stuck it in a vial.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa. _That is NOT going anywhere near me!" she yelled, panic clear in her voice.

Ward's brows furrowed in confusion. "If you want to get rid of the strep, you need to take the antibiotics."

Skye shook her heard vehemently. "Not if it's coming by injection. I _hate _needles!"

Well, that was information not listed in her files. He and Skye were going to have to have a nice game of 20 questions later on, because as her S.O., things like fears, were a need to know for him so that he could make sure those fears were never used against her in the event that a mission went south.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, taking his seat next to her.

"Of course!" She said without hesitation.

"Then let me give you the medicine."

"You don't understand." She said almost frantically. "I'm going to faint."

"You won't."

"Yes I will."

"Skye, you won't faint. I promise you." He assured.

"But-"

"But if you do, I've got you."

Skye locked eyes with him for a second, before finally giving in. After everything she'd done, listening to Ward was the least she could do.

Sighing, she reluctantly stretched her arm out so he had better access.

"Just- don't tell me when it's coming." She mumbled.

Ward chuckled softly, a little amused with the situation. Badass Skye was afraid of needles, of all things.

"Don't look." He said, deciding to not prolong the process.

Skye tensed.

"Relax your arm, Skye." He instructed.

Skye felt his hand wrap around her upper arm and then a wet sensation as he rubbed an alcohol pad across her skin. She whimpered softly, knowing what was coming next.

"Shh, just relax. I promise I won't hurt you." He murmured softly.

His grip tightened around her arm and she squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable.

"You ok?"

"Yes, just do it already." She said through gritted teeth.

Ward laughed. "It's already done."

_What?_ Skye opened her eyes and looked down at her arm just as he swiped another alcohol pad across the slightly reddened area.

"Bu- but I- how?" she asked incredulously

Ward smirked.

"Black ops specialist, remember." He winked, as he got up to dispose of the needle.

Skye sat motionless for a minute. He really was the whole solution, wasn't he? Damn.

"So, what's it gonna be, chicken noodle soup or tomato soup?" he asked, breaking through her thoughts.

"I—"

"I'm not hungry is not an option." He said cutting her off.

"Fine, I'll take chicken noodle then."

Ward walked back into the small kitchen and quickly started pulling ingredients out of the fridge.

"Wait, are you making it from scratch?" Skye walked into the kitchen, amazed at the scene in front of her.

"Is there any other way to make chicken noodle soup?" he asked affronted.

"Can?"

"Absolutely not! Do you know what kind of crap is in there?"

Skye shrugged. She's never cared enough to look.

"Figures." He muttered under his breath as he started chopping up some vegetables.

"Can I help?"

Ward halted his chopping for a moment and grabbed another knife and some celery.

"Chop these up." He instructed.

Skye nodded and took the knife happily.

"Careful, we don't need you chopping off a finger in the process." Ward teased, resuming his own chopping.

Skye rolled her eyes at him. "You're hilarious."

They worked in silence for a few minutes until Skye broke it.

"You want to watch a movie after lunch, if you aren't busy, I mean?" she asked shyly.

"Movie works."

Skye looked down at the celery unable to keep the giant smile off her face. Maybe being sick wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**A/N: **So… what'd ya'll think? Would you all like more? This chapter happened thanks to you guys, so if you like it enough, I'm totally onboard to keep it going!

Quick side note: the whole needle thing… also my life experience.*sigh* I am absolutely 100% TERRIFIED of needles. After years of struggling with insensitive nurses and doctors, I found my current doctor and her wonderful staff, and damn if they aren't good! Not only do they have me lay in a cot before the needle (because 98% of the times, I do faint) and get me a snack for after, but I don't FEEL ANYTHING! I'm not really sure how it happens, but the one nurse who usually takes care of me just grabs my arm tightly, pushed the fatty part up and bam! All done! Amazing. Of course, sometimes she's out on the day I'm scheduled to go in, and that's when Pixiee drops like a sack of potatoes… :/

Ok, so enough of that. Thanks again everyone!


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